Congratulations! You have overcome the Y chromosome commitment phobic gene. You are going to ask her to marry you. Please read this quickly before you change your mind. I have ten simple rules to follow that will guarantee she will say yes.
1. DON’T buy your diamond from the internet.
Your girl wants to be able to tell a story of how you picked it out. How you knew from the moment it was in your hands, that it was the ring for her. Trust me, saying that you got a warm fuzzy feeling as soon as you saw the Craig’s List Ad is not going to cut it.
2. Go to Wal-Mart for a good pair of walking shoes not your diamond.
Get yourself a good pair of shoes so you are comfortable visiting all the independent jewellers in your area. Don’t go to chain stores, and PLEASE don’t go to discount department stores. Girls keep the boxes their rings come in. No one wants to see Wal-Mart or Zellers on their little velvet box. Your fiance-to-be will also want to establish a relationship with her new jeweller. A place where she will feel comfortable leaving her engagement ring for cleaning, sizing or repairs.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask a salesperson for help.
This is one purchase that you are going to need their help with. Very few jewellery stores are self serve.
4. Consider your girlfriends style.
Is she very modern or more traditional? Let your salesperson know and she can help guide you to the perfect ring.
5. Have a budget for the ring.
It’s important to remember that you get what you pay for. The website a diamond is forever provides a calculator and spending guidelines based on your yearly salary
6. Research the 4C’s
You need to know the Clarity, Color, Cut and Carat weight of diamonds before you part with any of that hard earned cash.
7. Clarity
Don’t stress about this one. SI Clarity is what you want unless you are looking for investment or resale. SI means slightly included. Almost all diamonds have imperfections. I like to think of them as birthmarks. They make your diamond unique and special. But the bigger and darker the inclusions the less valuable the diamond. In a diamond graded SI clarity you won’t be able to see the imperfections with the naked eye. By staying at this grade and not investing in the higher grades you may be able to get a diamond a little bigger or with a better color.
8. Color
You don’t want to scrimp here. No one will notice an inclusion you need a magnifying glass to see, but if it doesn’t shine or if it looks dirty both you and her will be disappointed your entire married life. I would recommend a color no darker than H. High color diamonds have come down in price somewhat due to a good number beautiful stones being mined out of Northern Canada.
9. Cut
This is difficult to determine in a ring with the stone mounted. To make sure that the cut was done well, hold your diamond to the light. Does it dance? Can you almost see movement? If your diamond sparkles, the cut is just fine.
10. Carat Weight
This is how big your diamond is. Once you have taken the last three points into consideration buy the biggest diamond you can afford. Don’t say that your girlfriend’s fingers are too small for a big diamond, or that she doesn’t like anything flashy. A jeweller I know who has been in the jewellery business for over 50 years has NEVER had a ring been returned because the diamond was too big.
Just one more thing, propose tastefully. Don’t put the ring in a bucket of KFC, or pop the question in an ape suit. A nice restaurant, a nice suit, a nice poem (if that’s your thing), and getting down on one knee is what melts a girls heart.
Good luck and check back in 50 years for tips on the Golden Anniversary ring.
